Getting stuck in our own head can be brutal. This is straight up one of the biggest hurdles we face when we work towards our goals.
Yes external factors come into play of course, we can’t make it to the gym, the suppliers are late, etc.. But in essence, we either choose to find a work around, or we don’t.
Often we simply hit the “resistance,” a sweet concoction of excuses that stems from our own narrative.
So, one helpful tool is it “get out of our own head” before we even begin.
One way to do this is use a story line to identify the journey… Let’s call it the “Three Act Summary.” We kick this off immediately after we set the goal or intention.
This starts by “zooming out.” We imagine that we are simply a character in this wonderful adventure, or movie that is going to take place.
Now, the next trick is to work backwards from the end, rather than starting now. This helps to both motivate us, and also remove any upfront friction we might feel.
Act 3: The character completes this journey and reaches the goal – what does that look like? Who’s involved? What happens?
Act 2: The character has a process, they are overcoming obstacles, deep in the thick of the work. What does that look like? Who is involved? What are the tasks likely to be?
Act 1: The character is developing their process, they are starting out – who do they need on their team? What are the likely tasks?
Here we find ourselves at the present moment – now.
We can break each “Act” down as much as we like. At the end of the day, we are simply finding out what it is that we need to do to get where we want to go.
Goal setting or creating an intention is a powerful step for many, but failing to flesh it out into the action steps that are required and enrol those who are needed is costly.
(I recommend reading Steven Pressfield’s book “Do The Work,” where he introduces a longer Act structure)
